


A Golden Summer Field

by Humbumblebee (Clipped_Ionian_Vowels)



Series: Moomin in Love [1]
Category: Moominvalley (Cartoon 2019), Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson, 楽しいムーミン一家 | Moomin (Anime)
Genre: Dancing, I fix what I like and that includes record players, M/M, Slow Dancing, Sniff's record player, characterisation based on 1990s but vague enough to fit any adaptation, courting, except they dont realise, oblivious creatures, they are all very very soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-10 20:31:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18667834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clipped_Ionian_Vowels/pseuds/Humbumblebee
Summary: It's a peaceful evening in Moomin Valley; they've all eaten and the world is at rights.And at such times, it's so easy for two entangled souls to fall into a dance. Or two. Or more.It's a very small adventure for Snufkin and Moomin (as their adventures go), but still a rather wonderful one.





	A Golden Summer Field

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was partially influenced by my need to write something soft, and partially influenced by a general request on tumblr that was dropped into the Snufmin tag:
> 
> @ashen-fire-widogast posted: "Can I please request a Snufmin dance fic"  
> Yes, yes you can.
> 
> (The title is from SOAK's beautiful song 'Country Air'). 
> 
> Enjoy!

It was silly and strange, the way they had ended up like this.

The early evening sun still streamed through the valley, lighting everything with a gentle pink glow. And perhaps that was it; it was the atmosphere, it was the evening, it was the flowers or the clouds or the sun.

Sniff’s record player was set some distance away with the remnants of their afternoon picnic. The others were scattered across the grass, tired out by the heat of the daytime sun and the feast that Moominmamma had prepared for them.

Sniff’s foot twitched in the evening light. Even Little My was lying down and almost still for once.

Though she was stirring.

The quiet trills of the newly repaired record player spun around them all, lulling them into a strange twilight state of mind, where everything was possible, but was possible tomorrow, and not right now.

Moomin lay on his back, nearby to where Snufkin had propped himself against a tree trunk. Moomin had his eyes closed, otherwise he would have noticed the fond way that Snufkin was looking at him, sun-drenched and quiet with awe, eyes narrowed to a point where they were almost closed, but open and loving nevertheless.

The air was starting to cool now, and with it, the small creatures of Moominvalley began to regain some energy. Began to yawn and stretch and chat lazily to each other in the evening breeze, the sound of the record swelling and ebbing.

Snufkin stood. The record player had slowed and he had a vague plan to rewind it. Alerted by the rustling of the grass, Moomin opened one eye and looked up at Snufkin before struggling to his own feet.

Snufkin was about to open his mouth to tell him not to get up, but Moomin gave him a look and he realised that it wouldn’t mean much to say it now, would it?

Instead, he began to whistle, skirting his way around the dozing body of Sniff, and deftly avoiding the clutches of Little My as she tried to trip him on his way past. Snorkmaiden had propped herself up on one arm and was looking out across the valley, a dreamy expression on her face.

Moominmamma and Moominpappa had come with them too of course, but they were sat some distance away on a little hillock, leaning into each other and apparently talking quietly. Snufkin could just about make out the rumble of Moominmama’s laugh and smiled to himself. Their relationship was quite lovely.

“Where are you going, Snufkin?” Moomin asked, as he hopped over Little My and smiled at her groan of disappointment.

“I’m going to rewind the record player,” he said simply, “It’s sounding pretty slow now, isn’t it?”

Moomin made an agreeable hum and followed after him, scooping up the plates that the others had left lying around in the long grass and wildflowers and putting them in a pile on the picnic rug to take back later.

“Hey Snufkin!” Little My’s voice rang like a crystal bell across the field. For someone so small, she certainly had a healthy pair of lungs, “What are you up to?”

“Rewinding the record player, Little My!” he called back, smiling at her disappointed look.

“Oh. That’s boring!”

Her curiosity satisfied, she lay back down on her front and continued to drop blades of grass onto Sniff’s stomach. Snorkmaiden glared at her, before joining in with daisies and forget-me-nots.

Snufkin shook his head fondly at them all as he bent down to wind the machine, being careful not to move the handle too vigorously. It was a very temperamental thing, much like its owner.

Suddenly, he felt something light drop onto his hat.

“Hmm?” he looked up in surprise, then glanced at Moomin.

The moomintroll turned quickly, hands behind his back and an innocent, faraway look on his face.

Snufkin took off his hat warily, then smiled at the daisy chain that had been looped around it.

“That’s some fine workmanship, Moomintroll,” he observed, placing the hat back on his head and straightening up just as the first strains of the record player started to crackle and jump into beads of beautiful music around them.

“Why, what do you mean?” Moomin asked innocently, looking away from Snufkin but not bothering to hide the small grin on his face. “Say, this is fine dance music, isn’t it?”

“Yes it is,” Snufkin smiled, unsure where Moomin was going with this.

“Can you dance, Snufkin?”

“I don’t know if I’ve ever tried,” Snufkin’s smile grew from confused into quietly hopeful.

“Oh it’s very easy. Here, I’ll show you,” Moomin took an imaginary partner by the hand, moving slowly around the clearing with his eyes half closed.

“Hm, that looks like fun,”

“It is!”

“Yes, I think I’ve got the hang of it now,” Snufkin nodded sagely, before he was being grabbed by the hand and pulled towards the moomintroll, skipping as he stumbled forwards into a chaotic spin.

Moomin’s hands were soft under his and he laughed with surprise at the impulsive gesture and the inelegance of it all. Moomin was laughing too, and they both smiled as they readjusted how they connected to each other, a hand here, a hand there. It was like something suddenly clicked into place as they fit together, waltzing around the field in erratic but dance-like motions.

“You have danced before!” Moomin said.

“Oh well, maybe I have,” Snufkin said enigmatically, and then chuckled at Moomin’s put out expression.

Some distance away, Little My noticed movement at the edge of her vision and turned to see what it was. However after she _did_ , she sighed, rolled her eyes and resumed dropping grass on Sniff.

“Don’t look now, Snorkmaiden, but Moomin and Snufkin are dancing,”

“Hmm? Oh I know _that,_ Little My,”

“You do?”

“Mmhmm,” Snorkmaiden nodded, leaning back on her arms as she watched the two of them trip over each other’s feet and laugh against each other. “Don’t you think it’s sweet?”

“Well I don’t know about _that._ I would have thought you’d be jealous,”

“Hmm, no not really,” Snorkmaiden dropped a particularly large bluebell on Sniff’s stomach, and started as he suddenly sat up, rubbing his eyes tiredly. “I used to be, but I don’t mind so much now. I think it’s rather lovely,”

“Do you think they know?”

“Know what?” Sniff asked, butting into the conversation. He followed where the girls were looking, to see Moomin snuggled against Snufkin’s shoulder, their chaotic dance having morphed into a slow semi-waltz. “Ohhh, you mean ‘do they know that they’re in love’?”

“Mm,” confirmed Snorkmaiden

“Probably not. They’re both pretty stupid after all,” Sniff said sagely.

“Sniff!” Snorkmaiden reprimanded, even as Little My cackled. Sniff was laughing too and Snorkmaiden really couldn’t help the giggle that bubbled up in her chest and tumbled out of her.

Snufkin and Moomin were too busy being wrapped up in each other to notice the laughter that was going on at their expense. After a few initial stumbles, they had naturally fallen into a rhythm that felt right. And what a beautiful evening it was shaping up to be.

Moomin smiled shyly at Snufkin. This was what some people might have called a perfect moment, and Moomin knew that if either of them spoke, it would ruin the atmosphere that they’d woven around themselves like a warm, comforting shawl. But Snufkin smiled back, and that was enough to let Moomin know that he wasn’t imagining things.

It was as real as the stars are, on a clear summer’s night.

And like the stars, they shone. Their faces lit up with a simple joy at the miniature adventure that this was; surprising as much as it was enjoyable, and all theirs.

Moomin dipped Snufkin in a parody of something that he had seen his father do once, and they both laughed as Snufkin’s hat nearly fell off and he had to catch it with one hand, the other lurking tenderly against Moomin’s cheek. Perhaps something would have happened, except Moomin’s grip faltered and he quickly pulled Snufkin back up before he dropped them both on the ground.

They laughed it off, turning the dance into something skippy and upbeat that didn’t feel so heavy with emotion. They couldn’t keep it up for long however, and - as the record player reached the last song - they were back in each other’s arms and stepping slowly.

And it felt like time had skipped, just like the record that was running through its last throes of the last song. A slow number that had Moomin nuzzling closer to Snufkin, that had Snufkin running this fingers unthinkingly through the fur at the back of Moomin’s neck that never quite lay flat.

“Look Pappa,” Moominmamma said quietly, indicating her son and his best friend. Moominpappa smiled at her, and they leant into each other, watching the two slow-dance before the sinking sun and then flop to the ground, exhausted, giggling as the record player stopped.

Because even though the record had stopped, something of that beautiful feeling still lingered.


End file.
